Hydraulic operating mechanism



Dec. 24, 1935. R H CQLLINGHAM 2,025,573

HYDRAULIC OPERATING MECHANI SM Filed May 7, 1954 2 Sheets$heet 1 Inventor": Robert H. Col ih qgham,

by 71 a,

H is Attorney.

Dec. 24, 1935. R. H, COLLINGHAM 4 2,025,573

HYDRAULIC OPERATING MECHANISM Filed May 7, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor- Robert H. Col I ingharn,

by NH i Attorney Patented Dec. 24, 1935 PATENT OFFICE HYDRAULIC OPERATING MECHANISM Robert H. Collingham, Rugby, England, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of- New York Application May 7, 1934, Serial No. 724,419 In Great Britain May 24, 1933 2 Claims. (Cl. 60-52) This invention relates to hydraulic operating mechanism,

for an object the provision of a simple, reliable and improved device of this character.

The present invention is an improvement of the hydraulic operating mechanism disclosed and claimed in my earlier patent application, Serial No. 707,619, filed January 20, 1934 and assigned to the same assignee; Nothing disclosed in my earlier filed application is claimed herein.

The movable vane of the earlier filed application is operated in one direction by liquid .pressure generated by an impeller and is returned to its initial position by means of a spring when the impeller motor is stopped. An object of the present invention is the provision of means for operliquid pressure.

' an impeller chamber.

In carrying the invention into efiect in one form thereof, means are provided for establishing a differential pressure across the vane, and

means are also provided for controlling the direction of rotation of the vane.

For a better and more complete understanding of the invention reference should now be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. 1 is a perspective view taken partly in section on the line l-I of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 isa plan view taken in section on line 22 of Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 and 4 are details.

Referring now to the drawings, a casting l supports the casing II which contains suitable driving means such for example as an electric motor. The casting I0 is designed to provide a chamber in which a vane I2 is rotatably mounted.

The electric motor within the casing ll drives a shaft l3 to the lower extremity of which an impeller I4 is secured to rotate therewith. A bottom plate I5 is secured to the casting ID by any suitable fastening means, illustrated as stud bolts.

A second plate l6 serves as a bottom plate for the vane chamber and .is arranged in spaced relationship with respect to the plate I5 to provide the top flange portion of the casting l0 and sur rounds the portion of the casting below the fiange' in such a manner as to provide lateral spacing between the walls of the casting l0 and thewalls of the casing as well as the space beneath the bottom plate [5 with which the impeller chamber communicates through a central orifice" I8 (see Fig. 4).

A fixed abutment in the vane chamber is.

hollowed to receive a cylindrical rotatable valve v more particularly to hydraulic mechanism of the movable vane type, and it has A casing I1 is secured to 2|. This valve is provided with ports 22 and 23 which cooperate with ports 24 .and 25 respectively of the abutment. The arrangement of the ports I in the valve and the ports in the abutment is such liquid such for example as oil. Thus, it will be 1 clear that the impeller chamber, vane chamber and the space above the vane chamber are filled with liquid since communication is provided from the space between the casting wall and the casing to the chambers within the casting ID as indi- 15 cated by the arrows of Fig. 1. v In operation, the impeller I4 is rotated at a suitable speed by means of the electric driving motor within the casing l l. The impeller delivers liquid through the exhaust'26 to the central aper- 20 ture in the lower end of the valve ill and from thiscentral aperture through the valve port 22 and the cooperating abutment port 24 to the interior of the vane chamberv where it acts against the vane l2. 25.

The space within the vane chamber on the opposite side of the vane communicates with the intake of the impeller through the abutment port 21, valve port 28, upper central aperture ofthe valve, ports and 3|, orifices 32 and 33 in the 30 side wall of the casting l0 and intake orifice I 8 of the impeller. This produces a differential liquid pressure across the vane 12 which causes it to rotate. A lever 34 arranged above the cover plate is connected to the vane. This lever is pro- 35 vided with an eye 34a by means of which it may be connected to the load member. Thusrotation, of the vane effects rotation of the lever 34 and. movement of the load member connected thereto.

By rotating the valve 2| in a counter-clockwise 4o direction, the inlet and outlet ports are both reversed, and the differential liquid pressure across the vane is also reversed, thus causing the vane to rotate in the opposite direction.

In order to obtain a quick action when opening 45 and closing the valve and-also to provide for a full stroke of the vane in either direction, the valve 2| is provided with a spindle 35 to which a lever 36 is secured. This lever carries a pin 31 which is arranged to engage in a slot 38 formed 50 in a link 40. This link is pivotally mounted at its extremity on swinging levers 4| and 42 which are respectively pivoted on pins 43 and 44. The link is free to move on the vertical pins 45 and 46 and the pin 45 is connected by means of a 5 spring 41 to a fixed pin 48. A lever which may be and preferably is the load operating lever 34 is arranged to engage with the pins 45 and 46.

This lever 34 is connected to a hollow shaft 50 which is also secured'to the vane l2. Stop pins 5| and 52 are provided on opposite sides of lever 4| for limiting its movement. The effect of the spring 41, is to hold the lever against one or the through the pin 31 and thus rotates the valve 2| in a counter-clockwise direction. The movement of the link 40 places an increasing tension on the spring 41 until a position is reached at which the tension in the spring will cause a rapid movement of the lever 4| and link 40 thereby causing the pin 45 to move out of engagement with the lever 34 and thus quickly move the valve 2| into a position to admit liquid from the exhaust of the impeller to the opposite side of the vane l2.

This, of course, will cause the lever 34 to rotate in the opposite direction until it comes into contact with thepin 46 when a cycle of operation similar to that just described, will take place. By this means a continuous reciprocating motion is obtained as long as the impeller driving motor is maintained energized.

Although in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, this invention is described as embodied in concrete form, it will be understood.

that the structure and elements shown and described are merely illustrative and that the invention is not limited thereto since alterations.

and modifications will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit of the invention or from the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An hydraulic operating mechanism comprising a cylindrical liquid,container, a partition transverse to the axis thereof separating said container into a vane chamberand an impeller chamber having intake and discharge ports, an

impeller rotatably mounted in said impeller 5 chamber for producing a liquid pressure, an electric motor mounted on said container and hav-- ing a shaft projecting through Said chambers to drive said impeller, a vane in said vane chamber rotatably mounted on a sleeve surrounding 10 said shaft, means providing communication from said discharge port to both sides of said vane and from both sides of said vane to said intake so as to produce a differential pressure for rotating said vane, and valve means controlled by saidvane for controlling said communications to efiect oscillating movement of said vane.

2. An hydraulic operating mechanism compris a liquid container having a cover plate, base and side wall, a pair of partitions spaced from said base and coverplate to provide an impeller chamher having intake and discharge ports and an exhaust chamber, and spaced from each other to provide a vane chamber between said impeller chamber and said exhaust chamber, an impeller shaft extending through said chambers and an impeller in said impeller chamber mounted on said shaft, an electric motor mounted on said container and connected to rotate said impeller shaft, a vane in said vane chamber mounted for rotation on a sleeve surrounding said shaft, a casing surrounding and spaced from said container wall and providing a return path from said exhaust chamber to said intake port, a fixed abutment in said vane chamber for limiting the movement of said vane, said abutment having ports providing communication from said discharge port to both sides of said vane and from both sides of said vane to said exhaust chamber, a rotatable valve in said abutment for controlling said abutment ports, and mechanism actuated by said vane for actuating said valve to effect oscillating movement of said vane.

ROBERT H. COLLINGHAM. '5 

